To Honor You Call Us: Man of War, Book 1

The Terran Union is engaged in a vast interstellar war against the Krag Ruthless aliens intent on exterminating humankind. In 2315, the wily Max Robichaux is given command of the USS Cumberland, a destroyer with state-of-the-art capabilities but a combat record so bad, she’s known as the “Cumberland Gap.” Capt. Robichaux’s first mission: to take his warship to the Free Corridor, where the Krag have secretly been buying strategic materials, and to seize or destroy any ships carrying enemy cargo.

Terms of Enlistment: Frontlines, Book 1

The year is 2108, and the North American Commonwealth is bursting at the seams. For welfare rats like Andrew Grayson, there are only two ways out of the crime-ridden and filthy welfare tenements, where you’re restricted to 2,000 calories of badly flavored soy every day. You can hope to win the lottery and draw a ticket on a colony ship settling off-world, or you can join the service. With the colony lottery a pipe dream, Andrew chooses to enlist in the armed forces for a shot at real food, a retirement bonus, and maybe a ticket off Earth.

Rebel Fleet

They hunt us. They bomb our worlds for target practice. A star cluster in the constellation of Orion rotates once every thousand years. Those who rule there have an ancient tradition: When each cycle ends, they train their fleets by spilling the blood of lesser beings. The enemy fleets are coming again. In response, the Rebel Worlds gather their starships to face the terrifying threat, and this time humanity is asked to stand with them.

Crimes Against Magic: The Hellequin Chronicles, Book 1

How do you keep the people you care about safe from enemies you can’t remember? Ten years ago, Nate Garrett awoke on a cold warehouse floor with no memory of his past and the only clues to his identity were a piece of paper with his name on it and a propensity toward magic. Now he’s a powerful sorcerer and a successful thief for hire, but it turns out that those who stole his memories aren’t done with him yet. When they cause a job to go bad, threatening a sixteen-year-old girl, Nate swears to protect her.

Vanguard: The Genesis Fleet, Book 1

Earth is no longer the center of the universe. After the invention of the faster-than-light jump drive, humanity is rapidly establishing new colonies. But the vast distances of space mean that the old order of protection and interstellar law offered by Earth has ceased to exist. When a nearby world attacks, the new colony of Glenlyon turns to Robert Geary, a young former junior fleet officer, and Mele Darcy, a onetime enlisted marine.

Duel in the Dark: Blood on the Stars, Book 1

The Confederation has fought three wars against the forces of the totalitarian Union. Three generations of its warriors have gone off to war, held the line against the larger, more powerful enemy. Now the fourth conflict is imminent, and the Confederation's navy is on alert, positioned behind the frontier, waiting for the attack it knows is coming.

The Terran Privateer: The Duchy of Terra, Book 1

Earth is conquered. Sol is lost. One ship is tasked to free them. One Captain to save them all. When an alien armada destroys the United Earth Space Force and takes control of the human homeworld, newly reinstated Captain Annette Bond must take her experimental hyperspace cruiser Tornado into exile as Terra's only interstellar privateer. She has inferior technology, crude maps, and no concept of her enemy, but the seedy underbelly of galactic society welcomes her so long as she has prizes to sell and money to spend.

Ark Royal

Seventy years ago, the interstellar supercarrier Ark Royal was the pride of the Royal Navy. But now, her weapons are outdated and her solid-state armour nothing more than a burden on her colossal hull. She floats in permanent orbit near Earth, a dumping ground for the officers and crew the Royal Navy wishes to keep out of the public eye. But when a deadly alien threat appears, the modern starships built by humanity are no match for the powerful alien weapons.

Warship: Black Fleet Trilogy, Book 1

In the 25th century, humans have conquered space. The advent of faster-than-light travel has opened up hundreds of habitable planets for colonization, and humans have exploited the virtually limitless space and resources for hundreds of years with impunity. So complacent have they become with the overabundance that armed conflict is a thing of the past, and their machines of war are obsolete and decrepit. What would happen if they were suddenly threatened by a terrifying new enemy?

The Ember War: Publisher's Pack, Books 1-2

The Ember War, book 1: The Earth is doomed. Humanity has a chance. In the near future, an alien probe arrives on Earth with a pivotal mission: to determine if humanity has what it takes to survive the impending invasion by a merciless armada. The probe discovers Marc Ibarra, a young inventor who holds the key to a daring gambit that could save a fraction of Earth's population. Humanity's only chance lies with Ibarra's ability to keep a terrible secret and engineer the planet down the narrow path to survival.

Columbus Day: Expeditionary Force, Book 1

The Ruhar hit us on Columbus Day. There we were, innocently drifting along the cosmos on our little blue marble, like the Native Americans in 1492. Over the horizon came ships of a technologically advanced, aggressive culture, and BAM! There went the good old days, when humans got killed only by each other. So, Columbus Day. It fits. When the morning sky twinkled again, this time with Kristang starships jumping in to hammer the Ruhar, we thought we were saved.

Space Carrier Avalon

Avalon was the flagship of the Castle Federation in the last war, now 20 years past. The first of the deep space carriers, no other warship in the fleet holds as many honors or has recorded as many kills. No other warship in the fleet is as old. Accepting the inevitable, the Federation Space Navy has decided to refit her and send her on a tour of the frontier, showing the flag to their allies and enemies as a reminder of her glory - and then decommission her for good.

Starship Eternal: War Eternal, Book 1

Captain Mitchell "Ares" Williams is a Space Marine and the hero of the Battle for Liberty whose Shot Heard 'Round the Universe saved the planet from a nearly unstoppable war machine. He's handsome, charismatic, and the perfect poster boy to help the military drive enlistment. Pulled from the war and thrown into the spotlight, he's as efficient at charming the media and bedding beautiful celebrities as he was at shooting down enemy starfighters.

Steel World: Undying Mercenaries, Book 1

In the twentieth century Earth sent probes, transmissions and welcoming messages to the stars. Unfortunately, someone noticed. The Galactics arrived with their battle fleet in 2052. Rather than being exterminated under a barrage of hell-burners, Earth joined their vast Empire. Swearing allegiance to our distant alien overlords wasn't the only requirement for survival. We also had to have something of value to trade, something that neighboring planets would pay their hard-earned credits to buy.

The Oncoming Storm: Angel in the Whirlwind, Book 1

In the year 2420, war looms between the galaxy's two most powerful empires: the tyrannical Theocracy and the protectionist Commonwealth. Caught in the middle sits the occupied outpost system Cadiz, where young officer and aristocrat Katherine "Kat" Falcone finds herself prematurely promoted at the behest of her powerful father. Against her own wishes, Kat is sent to command the Commonwealth navy's newest warship, Lightning.

The Wolf of the North, Book 1

A chance encounter with an ancient and mysterious object awakens a latent gift, and Wulfric's life changes course. Against a backdrop of war, tragedy, and an enemy whose hatred for him knows no bounds, Wulfric will be forged from a young boy into the Wolf of the North. This is his tale.

The Departure: Owner Trilogy, Book 1

The Argus Space Station looks down on a nightmarish Earth. And from this safe distance, the Committee enforces its despotic rule. There are too many people and too few resources, and they need 12 billion to die before Earth can be stabilized. So corruption is rife, people starve, and the poor are policed by mechanized overseers and identity-reader guns. Citizens already fear the brutal Inspectorate with its pain inducers. But to reach its goals, the Committee will unleash satellite laser weaponry, taking carnage to a new level.

New Frontiers: The Expansion Wars Trilogy, Book 1

The Phage War had been a devastating conflict for the Terran Confederacy. Even with the destruction of their terrifying, implacable foe, humanity is still reeling. Political alliances are crumbling, and their mighty fleet is in tatters. There is nothing to celebrate, even after such a complete victory. They soon learn that there are other stellar neighbors - and they've been watching the conflict with great interest. One species comes with an offer of friendship and alliance, but humanity is weary and distrustful.

We Are Legion (We Are Bob): Bobiverse, Book 1

Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and is looking forward to a life of leisure. There are places to go, books to read, and movies to watch. So it's a little unfair when he gets himself killed crossing the street. Bob wakes up a century later to find that corpsicles have been declared to be without rights, and he is now the property of the state. He has been uploaded into computer hardware and is slated to be the controlling AI in an interstellar probe looking for habitable planets.

Starship's Mage Omnibus: Starship's Mage Series #1

In a galaxy tied together by the magic of the elite Jump Magi, Damien Montgomery is a newly graduated member of their number. With no family or connections to find a ship, he is forced into service on an interstellar freighter known to be hunted by pirates. When he takes drastic action to save the
Blue Jay from their pursuers, he sets in motion a sequence of events beyond his control and attracts enemies on both sides of the law.

Tarnished Knight: The Lost Stars, Book 1

The authority of the Syndicate Worlds’ government is crumbling. Civil war and rebellion are breaking out in many star systems, despite the Syndic government’s brutal attempts to suppress disorder. Midway is one of those star systems, and leaders there must decide whether to remain loyal to the old order or fight for something new.

Return to Haven: Empire Rising

The revelation that the human race is not alone has sent shockwaves throughout Earth's naval powers. Suddenly all eyes have turned to Haven. Thinking he has nothing to lose, Haven's First Councilor puts into motion a plan that threatens to turn star empire against star empire. As a result, Captain James Somerville finds himself thrown into the thick of battle once again. Yet not everyone in the Admiralty is enamored with his brash style of command. Return to Haven is the third novel in the Empire Rising military sci-fi series.

The Lost Fleet: Dauntless

The Alliance has been fighting the Syndic for a century, and losing badly. Now its fleet is crippled and stranded in enemy territory. Their only hope is Captain John "Black Jack" Geary, a man who has emerged from a century-long hibernation to find he has been heroically idealized beyond belief. Now, he must live up to his own legend.

Renegade: Spiral Wars, Book 1

One thousand years after Earth was destroyed in an unprovoked attack, humanity has emerged victorious from a series of terrible wars to assure its place in the galaxy. But during celebrations on humanity’s new Homeworld, the legendary Captain Pantillo of the battle carrier Phoenix is court-martialed then killed, and his deputy, Lieutenant Commander Erik Debogande, the heir to humanity’s most powerful industrial family, is framed with his murder.

Publisher's Summary

Sometimes Captain Max Robichaux fights by the book - and sometimes he throws the book away. This makes him one of the Union Space Navy's rising stars. It's also what has kept him and his green crew alive...thus far.

When Max and his ship - the twenty-fourth-century space destroyer USS Cumberland - are boxed in by eight enemy battleships, the odds are against them at a million to one. It takes all their skill and guts just to escape...and surviving won't get easier. Sent on a covert mission behind enemy lines, Max and his crew are poised to strike a blow so hard that, if successful, it could turn the tide of the war. But if they fail, it will cost them their lives...and the lives of every human in the galaxy.

It had been a while since I listened to the first two books in this series, so honestly it was all a bit foggy. However, there isn't much to worry about catching up on, since this series is all about the space action, and you're thrown right into it. This is for military sci fi fans who just want a quick adventure, with lots of explosions and not much in the way of character development or deep thought. It seems to try to emulate some of Campbell's "Lost Fleet" success, while lacking almost all of the actual substance behind that series.

My biggest complaint, aside from the shallowness of the book and the fantastical technologies employed, is how there isn't really any sense of danger or tension in the battles, because the good guys are just so much better than the enemy that there really is no contest. Each engagement seems set up to be a hopeless situation, but the captain's genius brings them through every time, while making sheer fools out of the enemy and making them out to be pure imbeciles. If it's so easy, then it just doesn't feel as significant. Then we skip any kind of resolution and jump straight to the next mission - this really feels like a series of "episodes" rather than a novel.

It's not a terrible book, but not a great one - thus the 2 stars overall.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Joki

Helsinki

07/07/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Continues Smoothly From First Two Books"

With Book 3, the universe of the Man of War series has expanded and author Honsinger opts for a very definitive punctuation mark at the end (though the series continues). Those enjoying the exuberant speeches and World-buildling-through-dialogue will no doubt have fun with Brothers in Valor. For there is plenty of action (and speeches) here to keep readers engaged.

Story: What looks to be a trap - often is? Warily, the Cumberland follows strict orders from Admiral Hornmeyer to enter Krag territory and take down a feared tactician, code named 'Admiral Birch'. But is it luck or are they about to find themselves three layers deep in deception? And will Robichaux's canniness be able to pull them out of this latest fix?

As with previous books, our Star Trek meets Master and Commander dialogue between young skipper Robichaux and uptight doctor Sahin is the heart of the book. Although I'm still not convinced that the Earth would hold back half the human race (the female half) despite facing annihilation, clearly Sahin with his over-emotional outbursts and uptight nature is playing the female role to Max's gung-ho macho maleness perfectly (in a very non-sexual if perhaps not necessarily unhomoerotic way).

The dizzying amount of superfluous information about cultures and languages of earth (and even Krag now) is balanced by the amount of fun Honsinger has with the action. So while I appreciate that this isn't a story about white guys in space, I do still wish that the characters were a bit more realistic. It makes for an enjoyable read but a bit too easy to forget afterwards.

I do admit, I am continually amused to find the Star Trek references in there. From a nurse by the name of Church (ah, Nurse Chapel, we miss you), to the doctor being called Bones as a nickname, to Robichaux's over the top speeches. There were many more references in Brothers in Valor - a treat to find the Easter Eggs for Star Trek fans.

I listened to the audible narration and I'm at a bit of a love-hate relationship with it. The narrator is emotive and does a great job with what has to be the hardest lines *ever* to read convincingly. But at the same time, the bored, fatalistic inflection takes the over-the-top dialogue and can make it really seem flat. At times, a lot of the fun was sucked out by the book because of the dropping of tone at the end of each sentence.

In all, I did enjoy Brothers and Valor and look forward to the next book.

5 of 7 people found this review helpful

Striker

Savannah, GA

05/07/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Very Good Continuation... Can't Wait For Book #4"

This really is a good series. It's one of those that I just can't stop listening to. This was one was probably the best so far, but left off in a cliffhanger.

A few things have come to annoy me just a bit... Like how the Doctor is always oblivious to anything and everything that might be happening on the ship or when the ship is in battle. No matter how much he learns, he is for some reason unable to grasp the concepts of naval warfare. This is usually the mechanism that the author uses to explain to us something that we don't already know or that isn't obvious, but you would think he could come up with some way other than the Doctor being once again in the dark about something that everyone else on the ship is astonished that he doesn't know... One or two times per book would be one thing, but it happens practically every 5 pages and seems to be the only way we get new information explained to us...

Other than my minor gripes, this book is full of the action and excitement we have come to expect from this series. I listened to the entire book almost straight through. 5 Stars.

15 of 22 people found this review helpful

Zach

02/07/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Not the best of the series"

I loved the 1st two books in the series. This one felt short and rushed. I'll definitely listen to the next book when and if it comes out. This one just wasn't my favorite.

3 of 5 people found this review helpful

Shiraz

21/01/18

Overall

Performance

Story

"I love this book!! "

I can listen to this series of books over and over. I'm just sad that the next book in the series hasn't come out.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Eric

19/12/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"Please Please Write another"

We have been waiting two years for the fourth book. Please either write it or sell the rights to another. This is the best series in the genre.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Michael

20/11/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"outstanding"

well that's the last one 😢 been years now, but iam still waiting with zen like Patience